Second Class
by MaryandMerlin
Summary: Fred Weasley II feels like he is living under the shadow of a man that he just can't compete with. One-Shot


**Author's Note: I'm not 100% happy with this but it's in under the line! It didn't come out as heartfelt as this.**

 **Prompts**

 **Camp Potter - Teach Discovery**

Fred Weasley jr.

 **HSoWaW - Performing Arts**

Write about a wizard being introduced to muggle technology.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognise!

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Second Class

Fred Weasley jr. didn't like to complain. All things considered he had a pretty damn good life. He had a great family, great friends, a fantastic partner in crime and his name alone was famous which meant plenty of sway with the ladies. He shouldn't even have as much to complain about as his cousins. Rose was under so much more pressure than he was to live up to the Weasley name or mischief and be as smart as her mother. But whilst Rose had to live up to the real life standards of intelligence and humor of her parents, Fred felt a different kind of pressure. The kind that was slowly crushing him into a tiny, worthless waste of space.

That's why he was alone right now, down by the pond that bordered the Burrow. The rest of his cousins were up the hill playing quidditch or just hanging out but Fred really didn't feel like company.

During the summers, he always helped his father out in the joke shop. Stacking shelves, serving cute girls and generally being witty and charming, but every now and then his dad would ask him to come out the back and help him with the actual magic. It was everything he had dreamed about as a child, father and son working together to create the best joke products known to man or magic kind. The only problem? He couldn't do it.

Every time George Weasley put his only son in front of a notebook Fred just froze. He couldn't come up with a single original idea to create a product and even when it came to casting the simplest of spells he choked and froze and generally managed to make a huge mess of everything.

Sure, Rose had to live up to unrealistic expectations, but Fred, Fred had to compete with a dead man.

He had obviously never known his uncle but Fred felt the weight of his presence every time he took up that spot beside his dad. There was a reason he had become his namesake and Fred knew his father had big dreams about Fred continuing on the family business. He couldn't do it.

He was a failure as a Weasley and a prankster and absolutely no match for his uncle. It would be better if he just stopped trying, but Fred couldn't find it in himself to disappoint his father further by giving up. He sighed aloud, tossing the rock he was holding far into the pond.

"Hey! Watch that young man, you almost took out my submarine!"

Fred jumped at the familiar voice, his head snapped up and he looked to the left. Partially hidden by the bushes sat his grandfather, Arthur Weasley. Fred had been so wrapped up in his own misery that he hadn't even noticed the older Weasley with his shock of white hair.

"Sorry, Grandpa, I didn't mean to hit your supmareen," Fred muttered.

"No, no boy! Submarine!"

Fred squinted at the empty surface of the pond and then looked quizzically back at his Grandpa. "What is a submarine? Is it invisible?"

Arthur Weasley gave his grandson a conspiratorial grin and nodded towards the pond. "Watch." So Fred did, he frowned hard at the water as it began to ripple. From the depths of the water came a oddly shaped object. With a quick levitation spell Arthur sent it flying over and Fred caught it.

He turned it over in his hands, examining all the parts. "What does it do?"

"A submarine is a type of muggle ship!" Arthur replied, getting into his stride. "It is made for secrecy! People go inside and then it travels underwater so that they can move around without being seen."

"Oh, that's cool. Muggles come up with all sorts of ways to deal without magic. I mean, can you imagine what a cool ship like this could do with magic. Especially one so small. You don't need it to carry people, but it could carry little messages or objects. We could sneak stuff around school! Maybe it could fly! Or be invisible!" Fred babbled away to himself, imagining all the ways he could improve this muggle device, especially in minature. "It might even help muggleborns whilst they're away from school. Maybe something like a portkey. Oh, I have to go tell dad!"

Fred lept up, his enthusiasm electric, and bounded back up the hill towards the house. "Hey grandpa, can I keep this? Thanks!"

Arthur watched his troubled grandson race up the hill, happier than he had ever seen him before, and smiled. Everything was going to be just fine.

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 **Much Love, MaryandMerlin x**


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